Today, mobile communication terminals have become a necessary item for everyone due to their mobility and convenience. Mobile communication terminals not only have their essential function of telephone communication but also are equipped with additional applications for address book, schedule, wireless Internet access, alarm and audio data (e.g. an MP3 file) playback.
Users are using the mobile communication terminal to play back MP3 files, to send short messages, to set the alarm, to play games and to access the Internet wirelessly, while not using the telephone function.
Due to the limitations of work space, display screen and priority between functions, however, mobile communication devices are restricted to perform one function at a time.
For example, while the terminal is set to play back MP3 files, the user can not access the Internet wirelessly. Likewise, the user can not re-set the alarm while sending a short message.
Moreover, if a call is received while writing a short message, the user must write the short message again after the call is finished because the mobile communication terminal automatically switches to a telephone mode.
The Korean publication number 10-2005-0052086 discloses a mobile communication terminal technology that is capable of sending a short message while playing back an MP3 file. However, this was achieved by merely inserting an application for sending a short message in an application for playing back MP3 files.
Even with this type of mobile communication terminal, the user can run one application only, and only use sub-applications (i.e. MP3 file playback and short message transmission) included in the pertinent application.
As described above, since conventional mobile communication terminals have a limitation of not being able to run a plurality of applications simultaneously, the first application must be stopped if the user wants to run another application while one application is running.